Channel Surfing – December 29, 2009

Channel Surfing – December 29, 2009

All the tube news that’s fit to surf …

– Among The Hollywood Reporter‘s picks for the 10 Biggest TV Blunders of the Decade: Fox canceling Family Guy in 2002, the 2007-08 TV writers’ strike, Janet Jackson‘s “Nipplegate” at the 2004 Super Bowl and ABC’s decision to pass on CSI.

No Fox or FX on my TV? That would be a buzzkill of a way to start out the new year. Time to start investigating DirecTV …

– Speaking of DirecTV, rumor is that the company will roll out the first 3-D HDTV channel in the first quarter of 2010.

– Two oddities about Tyra Banks‘ decision to quit her talk show: 1) Seems like bad timing now that Oprah is planning to step down from her own show … Tyra was next in line in terms of influence with women viewers, especially young women; and 2) she says she’s quitting the show to focus on her mission of perpetuating more positive images of women … doesn’t continuing America’s Next Top Model seem counterproductive to that goal?

– The Top 5 most-watched cable networks in 2009: 5) Fox News, 4) ESPN, 3) TNT, 2) Disney and 1) USA. My favorite cable net, FX, home of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Sons of Anarchy, Damages and Nip/Tuck, saw its viewership jump 10 percent, one of the biggest boosts, in 2009.

– Count me among those who don’t find Jeff Dunham one single bit funny, and who are more than happy that Comedy Central doesn’t plan on airing a second season of The Jeff Dunham Show.

– Among the TV-related entries on the American Film Institute’s list of significant moments of 2009: The debut of The Jay Leno Show (and its – negative – impact on scripted TV), the cancellation of The Guiding Light and As the World Turns and how creepy reality TV stars like Octomom and Balloon Boy (and his Balloon Family) have “marked the year as one in which the health and welfare of our citizens should be considered before the standards and practices of television.”

– Bionic Woman, 90210, Melrose Place and Knight Rider remakes were/are duds, but the New York TimesBill Carter writes about how networks still persist on planning other TV series remakes, including upcoming versions of Hawaii Five-0, Charlie’s Angels and The Rockford Files.

– Bummer that Mr. T won’t be in The A-Team movie, and I agree with Latino Review‘s George that Mr. T is one of the coolest celebs to chat with. Very down-to-earth and appreciative of the showbiz career he’s had.

– Fox says American Idol will go on with or without Simon, as if there’s any point …

– Is the Apple Tablet, or “iSlate” as its also rumored to be called, the gadget that will replace everything from our iPods to our Nooks and Kindles?

– Least surprising reality TV star past ever: Jersey Shore‘s “The Situation” was a stripper.

– And tonight in primetime: HBO airs three episodes of True Blood (8-11PM ET); TLC premieres One Big Happy Family (9PM), a reality series about the Coles fam, who each weigh more than 300 pounds and are about to kick off a effort to lose weight and become a healthier household; the 32nd annual Kennedy Center Honors event (9PM, CBS) pays homage to Robert De Niro, Mel Brooks and Bruce Springsteen, with performances and presentations by Meryl Streep, John Mellencamp and Jon Stewart; Veronica’s magician BF helps her unleash her inner slacker on Better Off Ted (9:30PM, ABC); 20/20 (10PM, ABC) has the real story behind the movie (and book) Blind Side; Shatner’s Raw Nerve (10PM, Biography Channel) finds The Shatner chatting with One Day at a Time star and recent autobiographer Mackenzie Phillips; and on a new Teen Mom (10PM, MTV), Maci may give Ryan another chance, while Amber may have finally run out of patience with Gary.

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